This post is by no means a shameless plug but … having had multiple mini ‘epiphanies of the bleedingly obvious’ like I did on my recent visit to see my good friend at Pumphrey’s Coffee, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear, then I certainly think Stuart deserves a shout-out for his forthcoming Barista Training Class (details below) at the afore mentioned Pumphrey’s Coffee, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear!

Now for the sake of keeping this post short, the most prominent ‘bleedingly obvious’ that transpired was this:

“Within 2 minutes of grinding a coffee bean up to 80% of the subtleties and character of that bean are lost.”

That’s 80% of the beauty of the bean lost, nada, gone and never to return!! So no amount of almond syrup, steamed skinny milk, extra shots yadah yadah yadah are going to resurrect those flavours. All the majesty imparted in the growing, roasting, and preparation of those seductive little beans is ruined in 2 minutes flat! This is not to say that within that window of opportunity, an inexperienced barista can’t turn you off the notion of coffee drinking for life (just look at the impact one of our starry-eyed high street coffee houses has had on a generation of caffeine thrill seekers).

Without getting sentimental or overbearing with this coffee bean revelation, I just think it’s a beautifully simplistic notion that transfers to every facet of food.

If we don’t try to capitalise upon the true character a particular food possesses and we continue to under appreciate the full potential, and essentially the optimum way to prepare fresh ingredients then we are doomed to walk naively past subtleties and taste sensations forever more.